Igmi (IG-mee)

The Rustborn

The bizarre inhabitants of the Rustways who are a direct manifestation of its rusted landscapes. They are curious creatures that occasionally depart from their homeworld to scour those nearby. From this, and their catlike appearance, they are firmly planted in urban myth in a hundred different locations under names such as Shadowcat, Mawwalker, and Fourtooth.

Creatures of the Rust

The Igmi resembles a cat in many respects and from a distance is often mistaken as one. City folk warn of staying afar of "black cats with a red eye," mistaking the Igmi's singular maw for the eyes it does not possess. It's thin, rubbery skin is surprisingly frail, prone to tearing and piercing. It has fantastic hearing, more sensitive than that of any other creature, and even moderately loud noises can deafen it. It has a prehensile tail which it uses to perform impressive acrobatics. Igmi are born with an innate dexterity and sense of direction and even young specimens navigate the haunting structures of the Rustway with speed and ease.
It's diet consists entirely of rust. It uses its teeth to pry off flakes or grind off the oxidized metal which it then scoops up with its prehensile lips. Though it clearly ingests its food, it's body is entirely empty of any organs or tracts. Somehow the rust is absorbed into the body and the igmi slowly grows in size.

Ageless Intelligence

Igmi begin as specks no larger than a needlepoint though grow rapidly to the size of a small cat in about a week. They continue to grow all their life: after a year they are the size of a large dog; after a decade, larger than a coach. They do not die of age though they perish easily, tearing themselves to shreds on Igerbotte's spires or falling into the void below.
As they grow, they gain intelligence and sentience. In a month, despite no form of parenting or instruction, they are capable of speech in their language called Mignin. Some very old, very large Igmi exist and portend events in the worlds adjacent to Igerbotte. At the age of several centuries, they glean an understanding of the Rustway's layout and can predict its changes and communicate this to their kin.
The worship of Igmird is fundamental to the Igmi and is taught by the elders to the young as soon as they are able to articulate.

A Resemblance to the Mysmians

The creatures of Mysmy are shadow-like things bound to the world they reside in. They are, like the Igmi, ageless and feed on the thing they are born from: doubt and misery. The world of Mysmy is a lightless place where time moves at a crawl, much like in Igerbotte. Scholars have been aware of these similarities for centuries though what they indicate is impossible to tell. They are both treacherous places where the soul and body are easily trapped and some of the greatest sources of information on them have been lost to their clutches